Operating device for car-doors.



No. 707,459. Patented Aug. I9, |902.

J.,SIMONTON.

OPERATING DEVICE FOR CAB DOORS. (Application med may 17, 1962.)

(no Model.) l 2 sheets-sheet y l l. n x n l No. 707,459. Patented Aug. |9,I9.02.

J. SIMONTON.

DPERATING DEVICE FOB GAR DORS.

(Application flled May 1'7, 1902.) (No Model.) 2 sheets-Sheet z.

w. HM,

ith YATE@ Partnr f OFFICES JACKSON SIMONTON, OF ALTOONA, PENNSYLVANIA.

OPERATING DEVICE FOR CAR-DOORS.

SPEGIFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 707,459, dated August 19, 1902.

Application filed May 17, 1902. Serial No. 107,747. (No model.)

T0 a/ZZ whom t may concern,.-

Be it known that l, JACKSON SIMON'roN, a citizen of the United States, residing in Altoona, Pennsylvania, have invented certain Improvements in an Operating Device for Oar- Doors,of which the following is a specification.

My invention consists of an improved device for operating the doors of flat-bottom cars, the object of the invention being the provision of mechanism by which these doors may be positively opened and closed by the revolution of a main operating-shaft. This object I secure as hereinafter set forth, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a plan View of a portion of a dat-bottom car, showing the doors in position over the openings for the same and indicating in dotted lines the mechanism for operating the said doors. Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation of a portion of the Hoor or bottom of a car to which my invention is applied, showing the doors in the closed position'with their operating mechanism correspondingly extended. Fig is a view similar to Fig. 2, showing the doors in an open position. Fig. L is a transverse sectional elevation of a portion of a iiat-bottom car, showing the support for the operating-shaft of my improved device. Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the operating-wheel for the attachment and support of the connecting-links of my device. Fig. 6 is a plan view, partly in section, of the operating-wheel shown in Fig. 5. Figs. 7 and 8 are respectively a plan and an elevation of the bar bolted to the sliding door for the attachment of the end of the series of links. Figs. 9 and 10 are respectivelya plan and an elevation of one of the connecting-links, and Fig. 1l is an end elevation of the link shown in Figs. 9 and l0.

In the above drawings, A represents the horizontal ioor of a flat-bottom car, having` sides a and any desired nu mber of openings for the discharge'of material,these being provided with sliding doors, which in the present in- .stance are all in substantially the same horizontal plane.V In Figs. 2, 3, and tit will be seen that there are transverse beams b extending under the bottom of the car, and to these are fastened longitudinal channels b', serving as guides for the accommodation and support of the doors B, these latter being free to slide on the channels, so as to open or close the doorways in the bottom of the car.

In the drawings the doors are shown as made of wooden planks provided at their edges with iron or steel protecting-strips for the prevention of undue wear or damage to said doors where they engage the guide-channels b. A shaft C, having one end squared, as at c', is supported in bearings carried by hangers or girders c, and there is keyed or otherwise suitably fixed upon it an operatingwheel D. To this wheel is attached one end of a series of links, whose other end is pivoted to one of a pair of the doors B, this door being in turn connected to any number of otherdoors (in the present instance one) movable in the same Vlongitudinal line by means of suitable bars.

As shown in the iirst three figures of drawings, bars b2 rigidly connect in pairs the doors shown, so that they move together, and the operating-wheel D and'its links are so designed that not only do these act as a chain to pull the doors or other part to which they are attached when the operating-shaft C is turned in the proper direction, but they also positively push or slide said doors or other objects in an opposite direction when the direction of rotation of the said shaft is reversed. The preferred construction by which such action is made possible is shown in detail in Figs. 5 to 11, inclusive, and from Fig. 5 it will be seen that the operating-wheel D consists in the present case of a pentagonal plate d, having a central hub portion, through which is a squared opening for the accommodation of a correspondingly-squared portion of the shaft O. All but one of the sides of this plate have two outwardly-extending tooth-shaped projections d2, both edges of said projections being curved. From the drawings it will be seen that these projections liein planes parallel to and on each side of the plate (t and are made with one of their. curved edges d3 extended vinwardly until it meets the projecting hub portion d', the said edge being described from a center coincident as to position with the pivot of the links shown in the figures. In the form of the device as shown in Fig. 5 there is a projecting portion d" from the plate proper, through which is an ICO elongated opening d5 for the reception of the pivotal pin of the first connecting-link E, said projection being provided with a laterally-extending rib (Z6. The connecting-links are preferably of the form shown in Figs. 9 to 11, inclusive, consisting, essentially, of a body portion e, forked at one end, as shown at d, and having at the other end a projecting arm e2 whose inner edge is formed in a curve t struck from a point within the opening e3 of the forked portion e' for the reception of the connecting-pin.

As shown in Fig. 1l, the arms e2 consist of two parallel portions extending in planes parallel to the plane of the body portion c, and it will be seen that a continuation e4 of their outer edge is curved from a center coinciding with the center of the pin-opening e5 through the end of the link. From this edge portion there is on each side of the link an extension e7, the whole forming a socket or its equivalent at the end of the link. The opposite end of each link is formed so that it can enter or fit in a socketso formed, andrwhen a series of the links have been pivoted together,as shown in Figs. l and 2, this construction allows them to turn on their pivots as long as they are under tension, or, in other words, when the connecting pivot-pins are in the outermost portion of the openings e3. When the reverse of this condition eXisits or when the links are subjected to a compressive strain, the end of each link in which is the opening e3 enters the socket formed in the adjacent end of the next link and is thereafter prevented from turning on its pivot bythe construction above described.

The projecting portion d of the operatingwheel is preferably constructed with a socket similar to that on oneend of each link for the reception of the other end of the particular link attached to it. The link farthest from the one pivoted to the operating-wheel is held to the car-door by means of a piece F, which consists of a flat bar provided with holesf for the reception of rivets or bolts and made with one of its ends forked and provided with a holef' for the reception of that end of the adjacent link which has the arms e2. If desired, this link may be made without said arms, merely having projecting side members e3, as shown. In use the various members are connected together and to the car-doors, as in Figs. l to 3, by means of pivot-pins e6, and it may be noted that the link which is pivoted to the operating-wheel D may or may not be provided with the projecting arm e2, the said wheel having a fifth toothed portion cl2 or not, accordingly. To open the doors from their closed position, (indicated in Fig. 2,) the shaft C is revolved by any suitable crank applied to the squared ende' thereof, and upon such revolution this would of course turn the operating-wheel D, with consequent winding of the links thereupon, the parts iinally assuming the position indicated in Fig. 3,when the doors have opened to their full extent. The doors B not directly connected to the links of the operating device are operated through the connecting-bars b2. When it is desired to close the doors, revolution of the operating-shaft C in a direction contrary to that above noted causes the curved edge of the tooth d2, between whose members extends the link attached directly to the door, to press against the two portions of the arm e? of said link, thereby tending to move the door B, while being itself held, so that buckling or moving out of the line of action is impossible. As the revolution of the shaft C continues this first link E swings on the pin connecting it to the next link as a center and the curved tooth d2 continues to press on said projecting arm e2 until the link has swung far enough to move it from contact therewith, when under the resistingaction of the doors this link remains stationary until the socket of the second link has engaged its end, after which these two are retained in the same straight line. The moving force is now transmitted from the second tooth on the plate D to the curved arms of this second link, and so on until the doors have reached their fully-closed positions. It will be noted that the opening d5 in the projecting portion d4 of the plate D, as well as the opening e3 in one end of each of the links, is made elongated, so as to allow of moreor less lost motion between the plate and the first link and between the individual links required for their ends to engage with and disengage from each other, as above noted. The projecting portion or rib e4 at one end of each link is so placed relatively to the opening e5 therein that when the opposite end of the next link isin its eX- tended position its forked portion e can freely turn on its pivotal pin without contacting with said rib e4. IVhen, however, the end of the link having the opening e3 has moved rearwardly, as when the operating-shaft is turned so as to close the doors B, it engages the rib e4 in such a manner that it cannot move out of a straightline and is also held in position by means of the projecting lug e7. It is by this means that the system of links is prevented from buckling after they have been moved into a partly-extended position out of contact with the curved teeth of the operating-wheel.

It will be understood that while I have shown a wheel having a plate with five sides and four teeth I do not confine myself to any such construction, since I may increase the number of the links, and hence the number of sides and teeth, of the operating-wheel to any desired extent which may be found practical. Again, while I have shown a car having two sets of operating-wheels and a single door connected to each of the doors attached to said operating-wheel I may operate any desired number of doors without departing from my invention. It is also immaterial whether the doors are opened bya compressive strain ioo IIO

on the links or by a tensile strain, as in the device shown.

I claim as my inventionl. The combination of a car having an opening or openings through the bottom thereof, sliding doors for said openings, a revolnble shaft supported, by the car, and a series of links having its free ends connected respectively to said shaft and to the doors, the said series being constructed to operate positively and directly both to open and to close said doors, substantially as described.

2. The combination of a car having an opening or openings through the bottom thereof, sliding doors for said openings, a revoluble shaft carried by the car, an operating-wheel on the shaft and a link or links connected at one end to the said wheel and connected at the other end with the doors, with means whereby said wheel and links are caused to operatively move said doors irrespective of the direction of revolution of the shaft, substantially as described.

3. rIhe combination of a car having an opening or openings through the bottom thereof, sliding doors for said openings, a revoluble shaft carried by the car, a toothed wheel on the shaft and a link or links positively connected at one end to the wheel and connected at the other end with the door or doors and constructed to be engaged by the teeth of the wheel, with means for causing said parts to operate directly upon the doors when the shaft is revolved in either direction, substantially as described.

Il. The combination of a car having an opening or openings through the bottom thereof, sliding doors for said openings, a revoluble shaft carried by the car, a toothed Wheel on said shaft, a series of links extending between said Wheel and one ot' the doors, said links having on them means whereby they are retained in a substantially straight line when subjected to a compressive strain in operating said doors, substantially as described.

5. The combination ofa car having openings therein, a door or doors for the same, a revoluble shaft supported by the car,a wheel thereon, links pivoted together and connecting said Wheel with the door, certain of said links having sockets and others having portions constructed to engage said sockets when the links are subjected to a compressive strain, whereby they are maintained in a substantially straight line, substantially as described.

6. The combination of a car having openings therein, a door or doors for the same, a revoluble shaft supported by the car,a wheel there on, links loosely pivoted together and connecting the Wheel with the door, certain of said links having sockets and others having portions constructed to engage the same, the said connections between the links including means whereby they are maintained in a substantially straight line when subjected to a compressive strain While being free to turn on their pivots when under a tensile strain, substantially as described.

7 The combination of a car having open ings, a door or doors for the same, a revoluble shaft supported by the car, a toothed wheel thereon, a series of loosely-connected links connecting the said wheel and the doors, arms on the links placed to be engaged by the teeth of the wheel and be thereby subjected to a compressive strain, with means for maintaining the links in a substantially straight line when so operated, substantially as described.

S. The combination of a car having openings, a door or doors for the same, a revoluble shaft supported by the car, a toothed Wheel thereon, a series of loosely-connected links connecting the said wheel and the doors, arms on the links placed to be engaged by the teeth of the wheel and be thereby subjected to a compressive strain, certain of said links being free to move longitudinally relatively to each other and having means whereby they are held in a substantially straight line when so moved under a compressive strain, substantially as described.

9. The combination of a car, a plurality of openings therein, sliding doors for said openings, means operatively connecting certain of the doors, a revoluble shaft, a wheel thereon, links connecting the Wheel with said con* nected system of doors, with means whereby said links are caused to transmit power to operate the system of doors both When subjected to a compressive strain and when under tensile strain applied through said wheel, substantially as described.

l0. The combination of actuating mechanism, a system of links for transmitting power from said means both when subjected to compression and when under tension, the same consisting of individual links pivoted together so as to have a certain amount of lost motion, certain of the links being provided with sockets and others having portions constructed to engage with said sockets when the system is under compression, the sockets being constructed to retain the system of links in a substantially straight line as long as said system is under compression, with a device constructed to be operated by motion of a system of links, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JACKSON SIMONTON.

Witnesses:

G. E. KNEPPER, I-I. S. NOBLE.

IOO

IIO 

